I just spent the past week at MAYRLIFE, an Austrian medical retreat dedicated to gut health, longevity, and lowering inflammation.
This was my first time attending a medical retreat, and honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As a Chinese medicine doctor, I’m naturally curious. I love experiencing different healing philosophies because I truly believe we don’t have to choose between Eastern and Western medicine. The future of healthcare isn’t one versus the other, it’s learning from both. I left this week genuinely inspired.
What struck me most wasn’t the luxury (although waking up every morning overlooking a beautiful mountain lake certainly didn’t hurt). It was how incredibly individualized every single aspect of care was. No two people were eating the same meals. No two treatment plans looked alike. Everything, from the diagnostics to the therapies to the food, was designed specifically for that individual. It immediately reminded me of one of the core principles of Chinese medicine: we don’t treat diseases, we treat people.
One of the biggest surprises of the week was learning that I’m intolerant to wheat and yeast. I’ve never considered myself someone with major digestive issues. Sure, like most people, I’ve experienced occasional bloating after traveling or eating out, but overall I’ve always felt like my gut was in a pretty good place. After extensive testing and assessments, I learned that wheat and yeast create inflammation in my body. Not because they’re inherently “bad,” but because they’re simply not the best choice for my body.
That distinction feels incredibly important. We live in a world obsessed with blanket nutrition advice. Should everyone go gluten-free? Is dairy inflammatory? Is carnivore the answer? Chinese medicine has never approached food that way. For thousands of years we’ve believed that food should match the individual, not the trend. The same ingredient that nourishes one person can create imbalance in another. That philosophy was woven into everything at MAYRLIFE, and it felt incredibly validating to see such a personalized approach echoed in modern medicine.
Throughout the week I learned simple habits that, while incredibly straightforward, can have a profound impact on digestion. Some of my biggest takeaways:
Eat your last meal about three hours before bed.
Chew every bite 20–40 times.
Avoid drinking water during meals and for about 30 minutes before and after eating.
Eat without distractions whenever possible.
Leave around four hours between meals.
Focus on three nourishing meals rather than constant snacking.
For an inflamed or bloated gut, keep meals simple: protein + vegetables or carbohydrates + vegetables.
Prioritize warm, cooked foods over lots of cold smoothies and salads.
Bone broth and vegetable broths can be incredibly restorative.
Happiness isn’t just a nice feeling—it influences inflammation.
The goal isn’t eliminating stress. It’s building resilience.
Reading that list, I couldn’t help but smile. So many of these principles mirror what we’ve practiced in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
The Spleen, which governs digestion in Chinese medicine, thrives on warmth, regular meal timing, mindful eating, and simplicity. It’s one of those moments where ancient wisdom and modern medicine arrive at remarkably similar conclusions. Plus, speaking to the founder of MAYRLIFE, I learned that they look up to Chinese medicine theory for gut health, such as the warm foods, time between meals, eating slowly, balancing with nature, all things that bring me joy and presence.
Every day included therapies designed to support the body’s natural detoxification and recovery. Throughout the week I experienced acupuncture, cupping, oxygen therapy, abdominal therapy, liver wraps, salt body wraps, electrolysis foot baths, massage therapy, forest bathing, functional kinesiology and muscle testing, medical diagnostics, Pilates, and functional strength training.
I’d actually never experienced functional kinesiology before, and I found it fascinating. Using muscle testing, they were able to assess how my body responded to different foods and create a nutrition plan tailored specifically to me. Whether or not you’re familiar with the technique, what I appreciated most was the intention behind it: rather than assuming everyone needs the same foods, they were asking what my body needed. That philosophy is exactly what I strive to do in my own practice.
The first two days I actually felt more tired than usual as my body adjusted. Instead of pushing through it, I leaned into the rest. Then something shifted. I started waking up with more energy. My mind felt clearer. My body felt lighter. My digestion felt calmer. It reminded me that healing isn’t always linear. Sometimes the body needs space before it can begin rebuilding.
One of my favorite experiences was the cooking class because I love walking away with practical tools I can actually use at home. We learned how to create meals that are incredibly flavorful while still being gentle on digestion, especially for people healing inflammation.
I loved learning simple substitutions, like using fennel instead of onions to create a similar aromatic base in cooking, or using camelina oil to add an herbaceous, almost garlicky flavor without actually using garlic. It’s amazing how creative you can become when you start cooking for your body instead of against it.
Speaking of oils, I became slightly obsessed with what they served at every meal. Rather than defaulting to olive oil for everything, each meal featured a different oil selected intentionally for its nutritional profile. We had linseed oil, camelina oil, and chia seed oil—all incredibly rich in omega-3 fatty acids. I learned that chia seed oil is actually one of the richest plant sources of omega-3s, and that rotating oils instead of relying on just one can be a simple way to support healthy inflammation levels. It was such a small detail, but one that reminded me that food truly becomes medicine through the choices we make every single day.
If there’s one thing I’ll take home from this experience, it isn’t detox. It’s personalization.
As practitioners, and honestly, as humans, we’re constantly searching for the “best” diet, the “best” supplements, or the “best” morning routine. But maybe the better question is simply: what’s best for you?
That’s always been the heart of Chinese medicine. Your tongue looks different than mine. Your pulse feels different. Your stress, hormones, digestion, and constitution are all unique. Why would your treatment be exactly the same?
This week reminded me that healing doesn’t happen through perfection. It happens through paying attention. Listening to your body. Creating enough space to notice what it’s been trying to tell you all along.
Will I be bringing parts of MAYRLIFE home with me? Absolutely. Not because I think everyone needs to attend a medical retreat, but because the biggest lessons were beautifully simple.
I’ll be chewing my food more slowly. Continuing to prioritize warm, nourishing meals. Experimenting with different omega-rich oils. Spending more time in nature. Cooking with some of the techniques I learned. Protecting space for joy. And, most importantly, continuing to remember that healing is never one-size-fits-all.
As someone who has spent years practicing Chinese medicine, I left feeling incredibly hopeful. Different healing systems may use different language, different diagnostics, and different therapies. But when they all point toward slowing down, supporting digestion, reducing inflammation, regulating the nervous system, and treating each person as an individual, I think we’re onto something.
And that’s a philosophy worth bringing home.
xoxo
Dr. Felice
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